Song of Shadows
by Escritura
Summary: Nick Duval's new roommate is a mystery to the school. Half of the students seem terrified, the other half just turned on. Who is Jeff Sterling and what secrets did he bring to Dalton? Fantasy, Niff, Badboy!Jeff Tumblr: boundtodarkness
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone!**  
**So, this is my new fic. I hope you all enjoy reading! Reviews are loved!**

* * *

'Are you nervous?' Trent was watching the dark-haired boy rush around his room, desperately trying to tidy the place.

'Of course not,' he replied quickly, running a hand through his already messy hair. He was a little nervous maybe; it was always exciting to have a new roommate. Nick's last roommate, a boy named Heath, had moved away to Europe a few months ago, changing to a different boarding school in the process. Nick had been alone in the room ever since.

'So do you know anything about him?' Nick asked while nervously straightening the sheets on the new kid's bed. Would he be nice? Could he sing? Would he be able to put up with Nick's constant craving to burst into song?

'He was listed as J. Sterling, he just turned eighteen,' his friend answered while sitting down on the bed. Nick glared at him and the now wrinkled sheets and gave up. If the boy was bothered by the bed looking used, he'd blame Trent.

'What else?' Nick asked while he threw the last of his laundry into the basket. He'd wash it tomorrow. Trent shrugged in reply, making the brunet frown. Normally they'd get this kind of information atleast a week early. They'd get a small letter with some information on the kid and a request to try and make the person feel welcome. But now, Nick had gotten called out of class by the headmaster of Dalton, who told him he'd have a roommate by tonight. It was strange.

'Do you hear that?' Trent suddenly whispered. Nick listened carefully, but all he hears are light footsteps in the otherwise silent hallway. 'That must be your new roommate!'

Trent jumped up right at the moment the tall boy enters the room. Nick was completely speechless.

The boy gave Nick one look with his hazel eyes, before turning away to look around the room. He had smooth, blond hair, and a pale skin that seemed to reflect the few rays of sunlight in the room. He was the most beautiful boy Nick had ever seen in his life.

'So, this is room oh-three-six?' he asked, glancing at Trent, who was staring dumbly at the boy. Nick took a deep breath and stepped forward, his stomach turning nervously.

'Yes, this is room 036; you must be my new roommate then.' The blond just looked at him coldly, expertly avoiding Nick's eyes. 'My name is Nick Duval, this is my friend, Trent,' he continued when the other stayed silent, giving him a small smile.

'Jeff,' he answered indifferently, throwing down a sports bag on the bed. Trent glanced at Nick, who stared at boy. Trent didn't like it, the boy creeped him out. He was like a shadow; silent, smooth and dark.

'I'm heading back,' he mumbled quickly. Nick probably didn't even hear him, but Jeff Sterling looked at him over his shoulder. He had dark shadows dancing in his hazel brown eyes, making icy hot shivers run up Trent's spine. He practically ran from the room.

'So, Jeff,' Nick said with a small smile, falling down on his bed. 'Where are you from?' Jeff continued to take clothes out of his sports bag, just to throw them carelessly into the small closet. Nick wondered how so much stuff had fitted into such a small bag.

'Places,' he answered shortly, dumping the now empty bag in a corner. Nick watched the beautiful boy curiously as he ran a hand through his perfect hair, glancing outside. 'Do you always leave the curtains open?'

'Yes,' Nick answered in confusion. Jeff intrigued him. The less he said, the more the brunet wanted to know about him.

'Don't.' His voice was quiet and sharp as he retreated into the bathroom, leaving Nick staring after him. The boy had a strange aura about him, it was almost frightening. Nick stretched and changed for the night, crawling under the covers just as Jeff Sterling walked back in. Nick heard how the curtains were pulled together, leaving the room in complete silence and darkness.

* * *

'So, tell us all about it, Duval.' Thad, Trent and Blaine had surrounded Nick in the hallway. Thad looked curious, while Blaine looked like an excited puppy. Trent just stayed in the background silently.

'I don't know what you want me to say about it,' Nick said uncomfortably. Jeff had been gone by the time Nick woke from his alarm; he hadn't seen him since. 'He's very quiet, seems nice…'

'Good looking,' Blaine and Thad both added with a small grin. Nick shrugged it off, not being able to deny that. Those intense, hazel eyes had chased Nick into his dreams, giving him chills at the memory.

'Come on, lets get to class,' he said in an attempt to change the subject, being very grateful to Trent for agreeing. The small group managed to get towards their first class of the day, which was History. Nick loved the subject; his head was filled with random historical facts. But they all seemed to disappear from his mind as he walked into the classroom and saw Jeff.

He was wearing the Dalton uniform now, and even if his tie was slightly crooked, he looked really good in it. He had been watching the empty whiteboard; only looking away from it the moment Nick stepped inside, meeting his eyes with Nick's brown ones. The brunet's mouth went dry and his heart wild.

'So, you're the new one!' A few of his classmates immediately surrounded Jeff, taking him from Nick's view. The boy hurried to his own seat in an attempt to hide his blush. It was ridiculous how strongly he reacted to Jeff.

The last five minutes before class started were spent on speculations. No matter how hot or interesting Jeff was, Nick couldn't deny that there was something strange about the boy. There was something about the shadows in his hazel eyes, the smooth grace of his movements which wasn't quite right.

'Nick? Shouldn't you sit with your roommate?' Blaine asked just when the bell rang through the building. Nick looked over at the group, his eyes locking with Jeff's like it was the natural thing to do. The brunet swore he could see the shadows move and swirl inside the hazel brown irises.

'That would be helpful,' Jeff said in a quiet voice that seemed to make several people shiver. Nick nodded as in trance, and the next thing he knew he was sitting next to Jeff, not remembering how he got to the other side of the room.

'All right, settle down,' Mrs. Closier called when she walked into the classroom, closing the door behind her. Nick glanced at Jeff, looking away in embarrassment when he found the blond staring at him.

To Nick's surprise the class didn't start with the teacher introducing Jeff to the glass. She gave them all an assignment sheet, featuring random questions they had been studying over the past few months. Books weren't allowed; Trent asked that as soon as he saw the questions. They were however allowed to work in pairs.

Jeff grinned at that, taking a look at the paper as the class began to pair up. I should offer to work with him, Nick thought, being distracted by the way Jeff ran his tongue tip over his dry lips. He opened his own mouth, but Jeff spoke before he could make a sound.

'So, Nicky, are you any good at history?' Nick smiled at the nickname, leaning a little closer to Jeff to read the questions.

'Uhm, I'm pretty good at it,' he confessed, already solving the questions in a separate part of his mind. Jeff nodded and leaned back in his chair, watching Nick with a smirk on his lips.

'Uhm, for example,' Nick explained nervously, tapping his pen against the first question. 'The great fire of London happened in 1666, it's very easy to remember if you also know that, despite half the city burning down, only six people lost their lives.' Jeff raised his eyebrows, watching the brunet babble away nervously.

Nick wrote down the year 1666 before moving onto the next questions, feeling Jeff's gaze on him at all time. It made him feel scared and happy at the same time. When he finally looked up, Jeff's face was inches from his, studying him curiously.

'Shit!' Nick called out in surprise, falling from his chair as he tried to back away from the blond. Jeff raised his eyebrow as the rest of the class stared at him, his friends with grins on their faces.

'Nicholas, is there a problem?' The teacher looked at him with concern, seeing as Nick was normally a quiet student. Nick just shook his head while managing to get back up.

'No ma'am,' Nick mumbled while sitting back on, not daring to look at the boy next to him.

The rest of the lesson was spent in silence between the two boys. Jeff watched as Nick filled in the answers, turning in the papers when he was done. As Nick walked back to his seat, he noticed Trent watching him, understanding in his eyes. Trent knew something was wrong about Jeff Sterling. And now Nick had stared into those cold, shadow filled eyes, he knew he had to find out what it was.

* * *

'Hey, Jeff!' The blond turned around to face Nick, not a single expression readable on his face. The last class of today ended ten minutes ago and Nick had been trying to catch up with the blonde ever since.

'Nick.' His voice was still cold and quiet, maybe even distant. Nick gave the other boy a smile as they continued to walk down the nearly empty hallway. Jeff looked bored, slightly annoyed even. Nick wondered if Jeff didn't like him. It made him feel uncertain and self-conscious.

'I'm sorry about what happened in class,' Nick said quietly as they passed a couple of students. Nick was surprised by the looks on their faces. Two of them looked at Jeff in confusion, slight fear around the edges. The rest just seemed to find him extremely hot. Jeff gave a shrug before loosening his tie and taking it off. It seemed to annoy him.

'What was your problem anyway?' He didn't look at Nick as he spoke; his eyes were just staring into space. Nick ran a hand through his messy, brown hair before opening the door of room 036.

'I- Well, you see,' he tried to explain, but his mind was suddenly empty and his tongue didn't know what to do anymore. Nick shook his head and went inside, tossing his schoolbag onto the couch of their small dorm. The curtains were still closed, and it was a cloud day so the room was darker than he was used to.

Jeff stayed silent. He neatly put away his schoolbooks in his drawer, threw the tie and blazer over the pillow and fell down. Nick could see the boy's eyes close. He seemed to enjoy the darkness of the room. His whole lean, graceful body suddenly seems to relax. It was beautiful to Nick.

'Are you just gonna stare at me?' Nick felt his cheeks turn red and quickly averted his gaze. Jeff only now opened his hazel eyes, sitting back up on the bed.

'How did you like your first day?' Nick asked to break the small silence between them. He dared to glance at Jeff again. His feelings were mixed at this point. On one hand he really wanted to know more about this gorgeous boy, but on the other hand he was terrified of him. The way he moved, the quiet, strange way of speaking, the shadowy aura that seemed to radiate from him… Chills ran through Nick's body at the thought.

'It was boring, apart from your sudden screams.' Even though his voice was quiet, it still echoed around the room. Nick had almost hoped Jeff had forgotten.

'You just startled me,' he murmured. Not a complete lie. He had been so close suddenly, staring into Nick's eyes with those shadowy, hazel irises of his… It has send feelings through Nick's body, things he had trouble identifying. Nick heard a soft chuckle, making his spine tingle.

'I do that a lot.' Jeff sounded almost amused, though the cold, distant tone never left his voice. He turned around on the bed, Nick felt uncomfortable. He was alone with the strange boy, the room was dark…

'Would the TV bother you?' Nick whispered after a too long, uncomfortable silence. It was clear to him that Jeff disliked the light. Through the day, Nick had noticed himself staring at the other boy multiple times. His eyes were always slightly squinted against the bright classroom lights.

'Not if the rest of the room stays dark.' He didn't even move. He was lying on his side, facing the wall next to his bed, motionless. Nick gave a hesitant nod before turning the TV on and popping a musical into the DVD player. He didn't even look at the title, he just needed some happiness.

Jeff stayed quiet and after a while, Nick almost forgot he was there. Almost, he could still sense the coldness of the silence behind him. The dark room started to creep the brunet out. The shadows moved in the corners of his eyes and near the end of the movie, Nick swore he heard a soft, snakelike whisper behind him.

Nick just shivered and turned off his movie. Without a word he changed for bed and crawled under the covers.

'Goodnight, Nicky.'

'G-Goodnight, Jeff.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 2!  
I would love it if you guys gave me a little review, tips and comments are welcome!**

**Tumblr: Boundtodarkness – Occasional spoilers are posted under the tag – Song of Shadows**

* * *

Again, Jeff was up before dawn broke. Nick rubbed his eyes and got out of the bed, looking around the empty room. He wondered where the other boy was. The bathroom was silent, so surely he wasn't there. With a small sigh he finally threw open the curtains; he even opened the windows to let the cold morning air in. He loved the sunlight; it calmed him, whereas last night had freaked him out. Jeff had freaked him out. The way the boy seemed to be covered in dark secrets, how he seemed… He just didn't seem normal to Nick. He couldn't put his finger on it…

'Are you in there, Duval?' Trent's familiar voice sounded from the other side of the closed door. Nick called back an answer, barely thinking about the words he spoke. His mind was reeling with thoughts and feelings. Jeff had this ridiculous effect on him ever since he walked through that same door yesterday.

'Are you alone?' Those were Trent's first words as he opened the door, not even stepping inside. Nick remembered the look he and Trent had shared yesterday. _Something was wrong with Jeff Sterling._

'Yeah, I'm alone,' he said, turning around to face the other. Trent closed the door behind him after checking the hallway. Normally he wouldn't see Trent for another hour, since they were both up exceptionally early. Nick hadn't known what had woken him this morning and he was almost afraid to find out.

'There's something wrong with him, Nick.' Trent wasn't normally this straight to the point, proving to Nick how frightened the boy really was. It didn't even make a lot of sense, it was just based on the feeling Jeff gave them. Still, Nick didn't doubt that feeling for a second.

'I know.'

'He hasn't done anything to hurt you, right?'

'He barely speaks to me,' Nick admitted, sitting down on his unmade bed. He ran a hand through his messy hair. He couldn't help but feel disappointed at that small truth. He knew he should be terrified of the new boy, like Trent was. The feelings that ran through him with every mention of Jeff should have confirmed that. Instead, Nick was plagued by curiosity and he craved for Jeff's attention. This, of course, was ridiculous. He didn't know the boy.

'It's like… He's a vampire or something. Pale skin, he loves darkness…' Nick's voice trailed off into silence as he saw the amused look on Trent's face. 'What?'

'Stop reading your vampire books. There is no such thing.'

'Then what do you think is up with him? Because you know something isn't right about him. He seems…' Nick couldn't find the right word, even though he had a lot of options. Jeff was cold, distant, intriguing, maybe even…

'Dangerous,' Trent answered in a quiet voice. 'I don't know what's up with him, but he seems dangerous, Nick. Maybe you should request a different room.'

Nick knew his friend was only worried. Trent had been his best friend since both boys had started at Dalton. They had other friends of course; mainly guys from the Warblers, but Nick and Trent always seemed to stick together.

Still, the thought of staying away from Jeff, to leave the blond shrouded in his mysteries, made him feel… empty, jittery, like he had left something unfinished.

'I'll see,' Nick evaded.

Trent shuddered briefly, knowing his friend was lying. He didn't trust this Jeff at all. Maybe he was a little paranoid, but the boy didn't seem of this world. The vampire idea was crazy; it was… something else, something much darker. He sighed and got up from the bed.

'Don't say I didn't warn you.' He didn't understand why Nick seemed so calm about it. 'I'm leaving, before your freaky roommate shows up. Plus, you look like you need a shower.' Nick's hair was a greasy mess, seeing as he had been too afraid last night to take a shower before bed. The brunet nodded at Trent, who left soon after, closing the door behind him. He really was worried for his friend, but he wouldnt ever be brave enough to stick around to face those haunted, shadowy eyes again. Trent felt breathless at the thought and hurried to his room to get ready for another school day.

* * *

The day was a boring blur. Jeff wasn't in any of the first three classes. Nick was getting worried, even thought he barely knew the boy, and he really shouldn't be thinking about him this often.

It was driving Nick crazy. The clashing thoughts and feelings, the strange need to find out more about Jeff, the fear the blond brought with him… Nick got chills just by thinking about it.

During fourth hour, which was taught by their mentor, Jeff finally appeared. He sat down next to Nick, his tie slightly crooked and his hazel eyes staring coldly into the distance. They didn't speak. The blond didn't even move during the whole class. It was eerie to see someone sit that still. Every time Nick caught himself thinking something like that, he simultaneously realized he had been staring at the other.

During lunch, he found himself thinking back on the brief conversation he had shared with Jeff, right before the class had ended.

'_What're you doing during lunch?' The bell had just signaled the end of fourth hour when the question slipped from Nick's lips. To his embarrassment, he felt a blush creep up his cheeks. _

'_Eat.'_

'_Would you want to sit with me and my friends?'Nick didn't let the short, annoyed answer beat him down. Trent would probably shoot him, but how else was he supposed to find out more?_

'_No, Nicky.'_

'_Oh. Would you just want to sit with me?' Wow, way to be subtle. The brunet even managed to add a smile to the sentence, trying to look into Jeff's cold, hazel eyes._

'_No, I don't want to sit with you.' _

_Before Nick could form a reply, Jeff got up to walk out of the classroom. It left Nick with a mixed feeling of disappointment and relief. The rest of the class had already left, but Nick didn't feel like catching up to them. His next class was art and he wasn't exactly good at it. Still, Nick would never skip a class. So with a feeling of unease and dread in the pit of his stomach, the brunet got up and walked to the art class. _

Yes, it really did drive him nuts. Nick was always pretty optimistic and straightforward when it came to his feelings. Jeff was so different and he gave Nick so much to process; the brunet just didn't know what to do with himself anymore. It was maddening. His eyes were searching the cafeteria for the boy with the blond hair and cold gaze, when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

'You skipped Warbler practice yesterday.' It was Wes who spoke, a serious expression on his face. He was one of the three council members of Dalton Academy's Glee club, also known as the Warblers.

'I was helping my new roommate,' Nick explained, a small smile on his lip. In reality he had been sitting in the dark, watching _Rent_ while Jeff lay on the bed, surrounded by those scary whispers and unusual shadows. A few of the Warblers nodded in understanding, but Wes wasn't quite ready to drop the subject just yet.

'He doesn't talk much, does he?'

'He's nice, really. He probably still has to settle into everything. Like I mentioned, I'm helping him.' Was he making excuses for Jeff? Wes just shrugged and focused on a conversation on his other side, but Nick's mind couldn't let the subject go. Where was Jeff anyway? He wasn't in the cafeteria and Nick hadn't been able to see where he went after he left class earlier.

* * *

The brunet ended up walking out of the cafeteria after a mumbled excuse to his fellow Warblers. The rest of the school was quiet, seeing as most people were eating. Nick's footsteps echoed around him as he walked Dalton's fancy hallways. After about ten minutes, he still hadn't found Jeff, and he started humming a slow tune to stay occupied.

The melody had a haunting, dark feeling to it, mirroring Nick's current mood. Because that was the accurate description for his emotions; Nick felt haunted by the mysterious Jeff. The more he was pushed away, the more persistent those haunting, curious thoughts became. It was so frustrating…

Why didn't Jeff want anything to do with Nick? Nick was a nice, calm boy. He smiled a lot, loved to sing; he was even a pretty good dancer. He wasn't perfect of course, the singing would annoy people after a while and his room became messy pretty quickly. The brunet could think up a whole list of flaws, but that would be a little depressing.

'What is that melody?'

Nick almost jumped in fright when the already familiar voice rang through the hallway. Nick hadn't really been looking for him anymore; he had been aimlessly wandering around for the past few minutes. And now he was there, tall and blond, half in the shadows of the darkened corridor. The darkness made Nick nervous; there weren't a lot of windows in this particular part of the school and atleast half of the lights were off.

'Jeff…' The name was no more than a breathless whisper from Nick's lips. If he hadn't been so surprised and scared, he would have laughed. This was sort of cliché, but being in the situation himself, laughing wasn't exactly an option.

'Aren't you going to answer me, Nicky?' Nick swore he saw the shadows around Jeff move. It was much like the movements he had seen yesterday, in the corner of his eyes. Only now it was right in front of him, twirling and pulsating around Jeff's pale fingertips. It gave the brunet chills.

'Just something I made up,' he mumbled, suddenly embarrassed. It was there again, the clashing. Wanting to go closer and run away at the same time. Jeff finally walked forward, the shadows were gone now. Nick didn't relax however, that hadn't been a trick of the light. Shadowy darkness had actually moved around Jeff, like a pet to its master.

'You were only in one of today's classes so far. Aren't you going to get in trouble?' Nick asked after a small, eerie silence. He wanted to ask where Jeff had been, what he'd been doing, even though any possible answer already frightened him.

'I _am_ trouble.' To Nick's surprise, a small, cold smile appeared on Jeff's lips. It was more a smirk than a smile and it made Nick feel cold, but atleast it was some sort of progress? It was not until a few seconds later that the words actually sunk in.

'I guessed that,' he admitted, rubbing his hands over his own arms, trying to chase away the goose bumps. He tried not to think about how intimidated this boy made him feel, like he was nothing more than a black spot within the darkness around them.

Nick tried his best to look straight at Jeff, but each time he finally managed to do this, he suddenly felt vulnerable. His stomach would start to fill with a feeling of both dread and excitement, which left the brunet baffled.

'You confuse me,' he went on, now training his eyes on the floor in front of Jeff's feet. He had to, or the words would get stuck in his throat. 'There's something so different about you. D-Don't think I didn't notice.'

'I know you noticed.' Nick didn't want to look up at Jeff, but he soon discovered that he didn't have a choice. The blond crossed the small space between them and rested two pale fingers under Nick's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Nick expected his touch to be cold, like everything else about Jeff. Instead, he was surprised by the warmth of his smooth fingertips.

The expression in his hazel eyes never changed, it stayed cold and distant with a slight curiosity in the dark pupils. The whole thing left Nick feeling weak and nervous.

'I suggest you stop trying to notice these things, Nicky.' Jeff's voice was frigid and emotionless as he completely backed Nick against the wall. He was trapped, with Jeff's arm on his right and the dark, moving shadows on his left side. The blond was so close; Nick could feel his warm breathing on the sensitive skin of his neck.

'If you know what's good for you,' he continued, before stepping back and turning his back on Nick. The brunet didn't even see Jeff leave. As soon as he was released, he practically collapsed on the ground of the now empty hallway, his whole body shaking. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt sick, terrified and his whole body went cold. Nick counted the black spots in his vision, hearing a bell ring through the building. That's when the brunet lost consciousness, Jeff's voice still echoing through his mind.


End file.
